1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an airbag deployment apparatus of an automobile, and more particularly, to a device for decreasing peak pressure of the airbag during deployment in order to prevent a passenger from being injured due to contact with the airbag.
2. Description of Related Art
When a vehicle collision occurs, persons seated in the vehicle, such as a driver and a passenger, may collide with a steering wheel or a crash pad. Accordingly, the persons are likely seriously injured at the chest and face. For this reason, in recent years, an airbag has been generally mounted in a steering wheel and a crash pad in front of the passenger. Airbags may also be installed in other areas of the vehicle for passenger safety.
The detailed structure or shape of an airbag may vary depending on a mounting position where the airbag is mounted. However, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the airbag generally has a structure in which an inflator 40 fixed to a housing 20 is provided at the mounting position, and an airbag 30 connected to inflator 40 is provided in a cover 10 while being folded. When a signal corresponding to a vehicle collision is sent to an airbag control unit from a collision detecting sensor, the airbag control unit sends an inflation signal to inflator 40 in order to operate inflator 40. After that, inflation gas generated from inflator 40 quickly inflates airbag 30, and airbag 30 is deployed into a vehicle cabin while a tear seam 11 of cover 10 is torn due to the inflation pressure of the airbag 30.
Meanwhile, when tear seam 11 is torn, the pressure of airbag 30 becomes the peak like (A) of FIG. 4.
Therefore, if a passenger is close to the airbag 30 when airbag 30 tears tear seam 11 and is deployed, the passenger could be seriously injured due to the strong hitting by the airbag 30.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art